Mixed feelings: interesting story but some inconsistencies and simplistic storytelling/script

From episode 1, there have been some inconsistencies (as with many fantasy stories) and so many questions. The mystery storyline was what kept me watching. The FL character was refreshing...she has a very carpe-diem attitude, flirty and full of life but not a simple happy-go-lucky personality. The acting was great too...I think the personalities were very distinct.
I wasn't a fan of the build up to the main CP. Honestly, at the point that they confessed to each other, I thought they were still giving friend vibes...I was so confused. But I don't think that was a result of the acting...it was more of the script. As I was watching this drama, I couldn't help but think that it was adapted (and apparently changed quite a bit) from a webtoon because I thought I was watching a webtoon in action. There were parts of the scripts that were so chunky...it was just a lack of consistent build up (just mysteries and then wait a bit, then bam, the answer to everything). The storyline had so many twists, it would've been nice to see slow-dropped hints and even possible misleading hints to make the ride more fun. This is the first time I've ever really wanted to separate a script from the storyline (rating-wise). Thinking about it more, it could be a result of cutting/editing the script. It's a 30-40 episode storyline crammed into 24 eps.

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Light watch despite a serious domestic abuse background

You can only get so much content out of a short web series...I think this was executed in the best way given the time constraints. It was as quick-paced and silly comedy as typical web series are but everything flowed very well and despite the serious topic of domestic abuse, it wasn't a sappy story. I was also really satisfied with the ending (not a "squeeze in a full unrealistic happy resolution even though the characters didn't interact much" type of web series ending).
One thing I did feel awkward about was how large the age gap was (high schooler and middle-aged doctor) and the fact that the girl actually very aware how large this gap was (she always called him a proper uncle...not even older brother, as you would call a young man even if you were super young).

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So fluffy!

There were many cute scenes in this drama! I have to say, I was a bit annoyed with the FL a bit sometimes because she speaks a little slow and her character is the cutesy type. But overall, the chemistry was great (and I actually like the second CP chemistry more). There were no major misunderstandings or unnecessary relationship drama. Honestly, this drama was extremely predictable and the "dark past" parts seemed to not hit right at the heart wrenching spot. But since the cute scenes were executed so well and antagonists weren't annoying to the point of angst, it can still pass as a quality fluffy piece. This will definitely lift your spirits after you finish a serious drama.

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Short and sweet, well produced

This was a well-executed movie with fantasy elements. Storyline was funny and fit in the movie timeframe (fresh start at the beginning and happy ending). As always, it might feel a little fast if you are used to drama-long storylines, but I'm glad they chose to execute this story as a movie because otherwise it might've been really draggy as a full-length drama (C-dramas are always a hit or miss with execution). Acting and chemistry was on point and music was aight (fitting). Like a nicely-wrapped present, the ending was satisfying. I'm so happy they didn't try to squeeze in some sort of sabotage or full-blown love-triangle.

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Pretty typical drama with unique spin, good ost & acting

I'm only writing this review because I disagree with some of the reviews labeled most helpful.
Other than the slightly exaggerated narcolepsy (its a very serious issue but idk if the symptoms happen like this) and the unbelievable 30+ love confessions, the story overall is really cute. The acting was great, and like many others, my fave was Sasa (sophisticated, strong, smart, funny, great best friend). I don't really think there were any extremely annoying characters (but ofc there is a protagonist). The OST was pretty fitting. I really like Someday (on Spotify) and Lonely (not on Spotify :/).
The drama was overall funny, light hearted, and cute. Would rewatch mainly to get a few laughs. I don't think the storyline dragged on for too long...28 episodes is a good length. I'm really confused about the draggy/downhill comment (have you seen a 50 episode drama? or even a 35 episode drama that could've been 25?). The ending was good (some cliche parts but leaves an overall complete feeling).

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lacking genuine character development but a cute watch

I would say this drama is pretty standard for a modern Chinese romcom. Although I found the "teachable moments" very shallow and unrealistic (the FL speaks and at the end of the speech the perpetrators admit their wrong? highly unlikely), they did introduce some more serious topics and I think these topics balanced out the fluffiness. For all of the "teachable moments" they put in, you would've expected some character development, but I didn't see as much. Also, I did notice some dialogue was put in specifically to make sure the watchers thought a certain way (instead of a more natural observing the actions and behaviors of the characters), which is a bit odd.
The cute scenes were nice (not overwhelming but still enough) and the chemistry of the actors were great. I also liked the time skip. And for once, the FL goes for the kind bad boy best friend instead of the all-rounder popular guy as a first choice. Overall likeable piece, not top-teir but not web-drama quality. I do have to warn, some of the subtitles that I saw were really funky (even the FL's name has a handful of translations for the same Chinese characters) and a few times the audio would sound like a tuned-down blast-the-speaker screaming (especially in emotional scenes) but post-production did the best they could with botched audio I guess.
Overall a nice youth drama that has all of the typical elements but still has a unique story.

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Unexpectedly good

So...as of now, there is no eng sub and no quality trailer on youtube for this drama. I was looking for a 40-ep filler...and it was pretty good (to be clear, the version I watched has 39 eps total).
Unique, quality points of this drama:
- It is a unique story and set up (loyal and righteous small business owner in debt ML and his little family of friends; righteous silver-spoon acclaimed FL and her helicopter mom; ML and FL interact with different customers of different backgrounds)
- The character design was soooo good. In a basic drama, we have a classic "good guy" and "bad guy" and/or "good guy turned bad because of a series of events". This good vs bad is based on a basic viewpoint of what is moral and acceptable to society (tell the truth, do good for yourself and others, etc.) and what is not (stealing, cheating, manipulating, etc.). But this drama managed to create characters all along the spectrum, as it is in real life (people are all over the place, lets be real). You have lifelong friends that steal money, backstabbers that remain loyal for old times' sake. What a mess; but it keeps it exciting. All of the actions of each character make sense (and the lead and supporting actors are able to portray these oddly shaped morales for these unique characters).
- You would expect character development to be very strong over 39 eps to keep the story going...but there wasn't too much development. You can see the minor change in the last couple episodes, but it wasn't the focus. I think the focus was on different fully developed characters interacting with each other with pros and cons slowly rubbing off on each other.
- ML is a basic broke and loyal guy but he's not pitiful. He's smart enough to stay true to what he believes in, but loyal enough to bend backwards to help others. Minor thing I appreciate: while he is in debt, there is a lack of the basic loan shark that hunts him down. It seems that every story writes in a loan shark scene when explaining how broke someone is, but ML would be too smart to take a loan from a loan shark or anything sketchy like that.
- FL is a rich kid with talents, but seems like people care more about her background than her works. But her works aren't necessarily 100% spot-on the client
- The chemistry is so good, acting is on point
- Subtle witty jokes scattered throughout drama, otherwise it's just all drama #tea

What I didn't like:
- Some of these characters that have twisted morales are just uncomfortable to watch (for example swindling your own friend) and ML always gets taken advantage of...this doesn't really change...so if you have strong vigilante-like personality, then you'll be extremely frustrated
- You can't really tell what age they are...these are all good actors, but...real life age and drama age...you can only imagine so much. And I don't think they really spell it out for you either, but once in a while there are some lines that infer ages you may not have expected. Age isn't always important, but it's nice to have context (the more background, the better). It doesn't interfere with the storyline though.
- the ending...it was like another episode ended...nothing special except for the words "the end". But it's a happy ending. I really feel like an extra 2 or so eps could've wrapped up some things. But I wouldn't say ending was unsatisfying...it just wasn't grand. It's so odd because the pacing throughout was good...why couldn't they just also have a nicely-wrapped-with-a-bow ending? Maybe it's an ode to "...life goes on..."

Wow this is a very long review. Thanks for reading through.

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mediocre comedy

I enjoyed the amount of laughs I got out of this drama. But 40 episodes was a bit long...this could've shortened to 32 episodes? Although the story was well paced and the ending was nice and happy, I have so many complaints about the FL. Or more like one enormous complaint about the FL: she is so annoying. She doesn't know what she wants but she acts like she is all strong and makes good decisions. I can't stand it.
If I was the rich guy wooing her, I'd be pissed (I mean tbh I would've given up already) and if I was the ML I would've been pissed too. Its like she thinks the whole world revolves around her and everyone needs to ask her what she wants all the time in case she changes or in case she's just joking around. While the ending was happy, by 2/3 of the drama, I just wished the ML and FL never got back together again. The FL doesn't deserve him.

Other than how annoying the FL is (also the FL actress wasn't the best I think..there were some scenes I would've thought she was an amateur).
Music wasn't really memorable and I probably would not rewatch even though I like comedy simply because it was too long and and I'm just fed up with how diva the FL is.

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Unique storyline with a few basic tropes

Had a good time watching this drama...there were many cute scenes and the acting was pretty good. ML was also good at acting (you can really see the difference before and after his psychological issues). They also had a good balance of silly characters that didn't go overboard. Also love that the FL and SFL are both smart kickass women (yah, its possible for two queens to be friends). One thing I found interesting was their use of many side characters (it didn't distract from the story but I feel like there is usually a more limited cast or larger side casts are usually all in the same area such as the workplace in c-dramas). I think the only real negative thing I can't justify is her reason for pretending the ML is her fiance (the original lie that started it all), especially as I don't think she actually liked him at that point, so there was no straightforward benefit for anyone from that lie. If it made the checkout process (leaving the hospital and Thailand) easier, I think it should've been explained (but you usually need your own ID anyways and that point, there's no difference between a good friend and a fiance).
Overall, the storyline was original (although the plot was quite predictable and had some classic rom-com tropes) and I liked the chemistry. Story didn't feel too draggy at 32 episodes, although I think quality wouldn't go down if it was 26 episodes.

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a whole meal

This could've easily been a normal 24 episode drama, but no...they extended the timeline and gave it a complete ending. love it. The chemistry and acting is soo on point. Even the casting is on point (I'd believe if FL and her sister are blood related irl..but what are the chances). Also the character development is pretty great as well...nothing exaggerated or unreasonable. I don't know what else to say. I would recommend this to everyone.
Music and production is on point too. The only reason why rewatch isn't as high as the other stars is because I don't rewatch things that often. And like I said before, this could've easily been a 24 episode drama that I'd still recommend, but the last few episodes after the time skip really bring everything together.

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Great actors, not-so-great story execution

Don't have high expectations for this drama, but its a decent filler drama that is very light. To be honest, the storyline was just not the best...at first I thought it was fine as a low-drama slow-romance story but the little plot towards the end just did not match the pace of the storyline. The only reason I have given this drama a passing rating was because of the actors and production (cinematography was decent with a good color balance and it seemed like they tried to avoid dubbing, which I appreciated).
One thing that I have not yet read in other reviews or comments:

While I appreciate a realistic slowness of romance and research (this 24-ep drama spans a few years with no "time skips"), it's just a bit disappointing to see how unrealistic they portray research. After seeing how realistic science can be portrayed in the likes of You Are My Glory, its quite disappointing to see this in 2021. Average labs look like the lab they call "gross and old" (in fact, that was a very clean and organized lab...other than the rat she saw). It is *never* okay to eat in a lab (maybe you can sneak in a snack into an engineering lab) but they always eat and bring food in? impossible with their "strictness"...leaving your waterbottle outside a lab could be standard procedure in a real lab. Also the questions they ask while they seem well on their way through development seemed really basic (especially towards the beginning). These are just some issues with the science part...and they could've consulted an undergraduate to know these things. I know its the dramaworld and there are many unrealistic situations, but I feel like these are basic things (I don't even want to talk about how they're conducting experiments) and I'm no where close to an expert.

Also some have commented on how unrealistic the online boyfriend thing was...but we have shows like MTV catfish so I don't think this storyline is out of the realm of possibility. Also, they don't start dating until later. They started off as internet friends who eventually developed feelings for each other.

TLDR: If this was a 5-min clip web drama or 40-ep long drama, I would've instantly dropped. But because its only 24 eps, its another excuse to see Jasper Liu and Zhou Yu Tong act. Also, its not a very dramatic or sweetness-overload drama so don't expect that.

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slow character development

Never in my history of Chinese dramas have I ever wanted a time skip so badly...(I've definitely appreciated or didn't think much of it when it has happened in other dramas though). The time skip never happened. The FL has so many issues...being annoying and not realizing it, which unintentionally causing major problems is the biggest one. The worst part is that no one really blamed her for it and when they did get angry, she didn't understand.
I guess you can say its realistic...a spoiled brat can't be spoiled without enablers. I think that there could've been a few episodes cut from the middle when showing how the FL was lowkey toxic to the ML (for the sanity of viewers) but now that I really think of it, that wouldn't be the ML's vibe (he is a persevering person). I do like the change in the FL though...it happened subtly, yet all at once, which was interesting because in real life, that is how change is (you only notice when you reflect back). Now that I look back at it, I appreciated the dimensions of each character (except for the FL, I can't comprehend how these non-blood related enablers decided to become friends with her when very few, if any, positive characteristics were shown and these enablers were not money-driven either).
If you've watched The Centimeter of Love, think similar vibe, maybe just fewer toxic people and a typical antagonist.

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typical drama on corruption & justice

I'm surprised there's only one other review...there are so many comments. So I just decided to post a review.
What a dramatic piece. I did find it at times unreasonable that things would work out like this (I don't believe that a PR company to tell their own clients to own up to their mistakes, pay more money, and still maintain relationships...there are good people in this world but its just unreasonable, with the reality of shareholders and financial pressure for everyone, to cave in). I am curious if PR companies really do their own deep investigations to find the truth...sometimes I felt like it was a PI company instead. But if things really work like this in the real world, I've really learned a lot of about the PR world from this drama.
Now on the actors: I think acting was good enough for the most part..but I think there could've been a better pick for the FL. This might've been just a habit of Tong LinYa, but her eyes...are just too big/piercing all the time. I can't help but feel that its awkward. For the first half of the show, I was wondering if her eyes could even close. Not every expression can be achieved by enlarging eyes. I still see this habit of hers in The Centimeter of Love, which I've been watching since it released, but its not as bad, or her character has more reactions where enlarging her eyes make sense. Her image might match the character, but I've only ever seen her have three expressions: crying, being awkward (which can be achieved by enlarging eyes), and some other expression she is attempting to do with enlarging her eyes.
Sorry I talked about it so much, but after sitting through 50 episodes, its all I can think about.

Other than that, this drama was pretty standard. If you have a few days to burn, you won't regret it (the ending is satisfactory enough)

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Cute story with a bit of mystery and fantasy

Great writing, great acting, what else can I say?? This is your typical rom-com but without basic tropes and a decent fantasy story. I'm usually not a fan of fantasy because I feel like they just make things up along the way and there are many inconsistencies. To be honest, I did find a few inconsistencies in the beginning but the acting really held the story together (all the lines came out so naturally, even the side characters). The mystery wasn't a surprise at all, but it was enough for you to keep watching. Its the kind of the storyline that isn't predictable right from the beginning but as you watch more you'll know whats coming and you're excited for the execution. Music matches the set, dubbing and production quality isn't bad. At first I was hesitant to watch this drama because I'm not completely comfortable with this interspecies relationship concept (its a male version of a cat-lady to a whole new level) but I enjoyed the production overall.

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my perspective: haven't watched the Japanese version

I would say the strongest part of this drama is the story and its characters. The realism of the story comes through the lostness of the characters while they are young. I also feel like the CPs relationship has some very real elements of lack of definition and reasonable lack of communication due to the busyness of life. The characters are very much independent and they have their own lives besides the relationship where they deal with problems on their own. Both characters are flawed and while there is character development, their natural strong unique personalities still persist until the end (they haven't changed who they fundamentally are).
I think the only portion I remember disliking about the storyline was when the repetitiveness of the situation: FL's stubbornness leads her to problems but she persists and eventually wins them over somehow because she makes them reflect on life. This happens 3 times IN A ROW which I feel is absolutely unrealistic. I think if they just kept the first and the third situation, it wouldn't have been unnatural. In the third situation, she wasn't able to obtain the result she wanted, but there was a resolution. The stubbornness and bluntness of the FL was already established in her work attitude in the first and second episodes so these conflicts/issues were just unnecessary. I'm not sure if this happened in the Japanese version, but this series of events does seem to be straight out of a Chinese drama playbook.

I think the acting was great although there could've been a little more chemistry. I do feel that the nature of the characters makes it hard to display chemistry but acting would've been 10/10 if the actors were able to achieve that non-verbal chemistry without help from the script.

Music was aight...nothing memorable and rewatch value is mediocre only because I personally prefer to only rewatch comedies.

Reviews and comments seem to say that the Japanese version is better. Seeing as the strongest point of the drama was the story and its characters, maybe it might be worth to watch the original Japanese version for some. But I am more comfortable with Chinese so I chose to watch this version. Although I am unable to compare this to the original Japanese story, I would say the execution of this story really wasn't bad in this version.

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